Communication Challenges in Cross-Cultural Business Negotiations Between Nigerian and Chinese Firms: A Linguistic Analysis

This study analyses the communication challenges encountered in business negotiation interactions between Nigerian and Chinese companies operating in Lagos and Abuja, drawing on recorded negotiation sessions and practitioner interviews. Nigeria-China trade relationships have expanded considerably under bilateral investment frameworks, yet the intercultural communication dimensions of these business interactions have not been studied from a linguistic analysis perspective. The research adopts a qualitative discourse analysis methodology informed by cross-cultural communication theory and intercultural pragmatics. Data were collected from recorded business meeting excerpts, supplemented by semi-structured interviews with 25 Nigerian and 15 Chinese business representatives involved in infrastructure, trade, and manufacturing partnerships. The analysis examines face management strategies, directness and indirectness in offer and counter-offer sequences, communication style preferences, and the role of interpreter-mediated interaction. Findings reveal recurrent pragmatic mismatches stemming from differing cultural norms around directness, hierarchy signalling, and relationship-building expectations, with Nigerian negotiators showing preference for immediate agenda-focused communication and Chinese counterparts prioritising rapport-building phases. The study also documents interpreter mediation errors that introduce substantive miscommunication in pricing and contractual discussions. Recommendations include cross-cultural communication training for Nigerian and Chinese business practitioners engaged in bilateral commercial activity. Keywords: cross-cultural communication, business negotiation, Nigeria-China, intercultural pragmatics, interpreter-mediated interaction.